'I can't thank you people enough!'

"Excellent, excellent, excellent!" was all AOPA member Bill Savarese, AOPA 01270243, could say about his Waco experience.

Savarese is the latest monthly winner in AOPA's Centennial of Flight Sweepstakes to claim his prize—a trip to Sedona, Ariz., and a flight in a Waco biplane similar to the sweepstakes' grand prize.

The flight is more than just a turn or two around the patch. Winners get four hours of flight time, provided by Red Rock Biplanes. Past winners have flown to Prescott to visit Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University or to Kingman, Arizona, or just admiring the beauty of the Red Rock area around Sedona.

In addition to the trip to Arizona and the time in a Waco biplane, Savarese and all the monthly winners receive a leather bomber jacket with a custom "Centennial of Flight" patch on the back.

The grand prize in the AOPA Centennial of Flight Sweepstakes, a fully restored 1940 Waco UPF-7 biplane worth $250,000, will be awarded sometime early in 2004. See AOPA Online for complete rules and eligibility requirements.

There are sound financial reasons for aircraft ownership. Beyond the money saved on overnight trips, delays caused by airlines, and other miscellaneous expenses, owning an airplane has definite tax advantages.